Care Advantage Psychometric pre-employment screening: A low cost process supporting the key Aged Care compliance requirements of Quality of the Service and Safety of the Service.

​The government has been very clear in the establishment of its new regulator and compliance standards,as well as the terms of Royal Commission, that its commitment to Quality and Safety is the foundation ofthe Aged Care system it is seeking to build.

Safety of the Service​In relation to safety, the traditional workforce risk agenda has focused on Misconduct. This is seen in the mandatory police checks as part of pre-employment screening and more recently, the calls to establish a registration process for frontline care and support roles.

Quality of the ServiceIn relation to quality, the emerging workforce risk agenda will focus on performance, based on employees suited to the sector, armed with the skills necessary to deliver an engaged and responsive service. Referencing comments by Ian Yates (Cota) in relation to the Royal Commission “A lot of what we are seeing is safe care, but it is not meeting the needs of modern Australia”.

Performance risk is not about misconduct, it is about (at times) deliberate and more often, casual neglect,lack of empathy, or the lack of personal interaction that impacts clients and residents. The WorkforceStrategy Taskforce reported feedback from the sector that somewhere between 20% - 30% of existingemployees were not suited to a care environment. This is principally where performance risk is found.

​The challenge to providers around Performance Risk will be seen most clearly in 2 areas:

CompetitivenessThe transparency evolving within the sector dictates that a Provider’s perceived performance will have a direct impact on sustainability. The “open market” forces introduced by the government is a deliberate part of its sector change strategy.

​​Address workforce risk with Care Advantage

Care Advantage pre-employment assessments are being used extensively within the sector to addressPerformance and Misconduct risk and its impact on Compliance, Operational and Commercial outcomes.

Our users, some of whom assess over 1000 applicants per month, have a clear process that readilydemonstrates a critical part of their approach to provide an effective and reliable workforce through:

Identification of “fit for purpose” employees suited to the sector (Quality of the Service)

Misconduct Risk (Safety)The Care Advantage Attitude assessment specifically addresses Safeguarding risk by identifying candidates presenting with higher than desired risk profiles in the areas of Hostility, Dependability and Integrity. Numerous clients see this as a key part of their workforce risk management agenda and a clear demonstration that they are, as part of a contemporary recruitment process, taking all reasonable steps to ensure against misconduct.

Performance Risk (Quality)The Care Advantage Personality assessment looks at key personality traits such as resilience, interpersonal preferences, conscientiousness, emotional stability and team orientation. The assessment provides a short report and visual representation of the personality profile which is then compared to a benchmark profile of “good performers” in the same role. Benchmarks exist for 40 care and related roles. The result of this comparison against the chosen benchmark is expressed as the applicant’s job fit score (%). Most users set a standard (e.g. >75% job fit result) for applicants to proceed.

Ask us for further detail on how our pre-employment assessments can help address the new Aged Care Standards, specifically Standards 1, 7 and 8.

Misconduct RiskThe traditional risk agenda in relation to candidates has maintained a focus on misconduct risk. This is seen in the mandatory police checks as part of pre-employment screening and more recently the calls to establish a registration process for frontline care and support roles.

The Care Advantage Attitude assessment addresses critical misconduct risks, flagging candidates presenting with higher than desired risk profiles. Numerous clients see this as a key part of their workforce risk management agenda and a clear demonstration that they are, as part of a contemporary recruitment process, taking all reasonable steps to ensure against misconduct.

The new Compliance Standards (#8) require organisations to be able to demonstrate the governance frameworks used to mitigate risk and the Care Advantage Attitude screening provides this transparency.

Performance RiskThe emerging risk area related to Workforce (beyond misconduct risk) is that of Performance risk OR suitability to the sector. This is a key theme of the legislation and compliance requirements – a focus on the quality of care as well as safety (Standard #1 for example). This message is reinforced in the Quality and Safety Commission agenda, audits and rhetoric, as well as government publications and positioning. It has already appeared in the Royal Commission. As per comments by Ian Yates (Cota) “A lot of what we are seeing is safe care, but it is not meeting the needs of modern Australia”.

Performance risk is not about misconduct, it is about the casual neglect, lack of empathy, the lack of personal interaction that impacts clients and residents.

The Workforce Strategy Taskforce reported feedback from the sector that somewhere between 20% - 30% of EXISTING employees were not suited to a care environment.​This is principally where performance risk is found, and this is where the Care Advantage screening facilitates the identification “fit for purpose” applicants through the Personality assessment and job fit scores.

Personality Report with 92% Job Fit Score

Personality Report with 46% Job Fit Score

The challenge to providers around Performance Risk will be seen most clearly in 2 areas:1.Compliance satisfying the Consumer needs requirements of the Standards, especially when consumer input and feedback are sought as part of audits.2. Competitiveness – The transparency being introduced into the sector, will have a direct impact on sustainability. The government is introducing open market forces in the sector to drive change

[NOTE:] General legal advice (Russell Kennedy Lawyers) to the sector states: “Be familiar with the recommendations made in key inquiries like the ‘Tune Review’ and whether you have adopted any recommendations targeted at how you deliver quality and safety in aged care”

It is worth noting that The Workforce Taskforce Report last year recommends, in Strategic Action 5, the use of Psychometric screening:

Pre-employment screening: Psychometric testing enables employers to assess whether staff have the aptitude and attitude to work in aged care and are the right fit for the job for which they are applying. By improving recruitment processes, employers can reduce staff turnover.

The government has been very clear in the establishment of its new regulator and compliance standards, as well as the terms of Royal Commission, that its commitment to Quality (performance) and Safety (misconduct) are the foundation of the Aged Care system it is seeking to build.

]]>Mon, 22 Oct 2018 03:33:17 GMThttps://www.careadvantage.com.au/blog/the-care-workforce-a-uk-sector-view-with-lessons-for-australiaIn a series of blogs supporting 5 videos recently recorded, 7 UK Care Provider CEOs discuss their Workforce observations and learning through hindsight. Introduced by John Pollaers and coinciding with the release of his Australian Workforce Strategy Report, their feedback is both candid and instructional.

Sharon Allen is the CEO of Skills for Care who are a delivery partner for the Department of Health and Social Care. They help create a well-led, skilled and valued adult social care workforce. Vic Rayner is Executive Director of the National Care Forum, an industry Peak Body supporting members in the Not for Profit sector. Significant and close interactions with a large number of providers gives these commentators a close-up view of the ingredients needed to deal with looming workforce challenges.

No Silver BulletWhilst good initiatives appear on a regular basis, dealing with the existing and emerging Workforce challenges requires a big picture response.

End to end solutions.

Recruit Develop & Retain: What are you doing differently, have your results changed?

Fight the urge to be reactive - determine where you need to be in the future.

Invest in the cure, don’t treat the symptoms.

Workforce Strategies that align with Operational and Commercial realities.

Industry perception is changing – for the worseAfter 5+ years in a Person-Centered environment, where the legislation and regulation reinforce the need to put the client at the centre of decisions, Sharon believes the sector is losing ground in its fight for community recognition. Key messages: don’t wait for a sector/or government response.

Self help:

Community engagement & education IS part of your workforce strategy

Address the perception and value of your services in the community

ICare Ambassador Program to attract staff

The Local ManagerThe local manager is a critical part of quality and performance. Find those who value staff, invest in people from induction onward and find ways to connect with staff.

TechnologyTechnology is used to enhance person centred and relationship-based care, not to replace staff. Technology provides the transparency to identify areas for improvement based on evidence. It is a critical component of successful care provision now and in the future.